Waterbury evening Democrat., 1887-12-29
THE IRISH PENAL LAWS.

is not well to uluStraCe your arguments py oAaS- gerated statements of English persecution Of Ire land instead of confining yourself to the dry and sober facts of history. As native American cannot conceive anything more i'm probable as policy or practice than your out line of what you call the Penal Laws in Ireland In civilized and Christian country should say they were impossibilities."
 This, an extract from long letter writ ten us by "A Native American " No won der, indeed, that men living in the light and life of Democratic government, with the civilization of the Nineteenth century to guide opinion, and the beauties of Chris tianity to enforce practice, should hesitate belief in atrocities perpetrated by coun- try whose government has ever been anti popular, as far as Ireland is concerned whose only lessons from civilization have been how the stronger should more effect ually coerce the weak; and whose Chris tian charity has been best exempified in making men hate each other for the love of God; subjecting a people to spo- iation, exile and death for daring to kneel at their own altars and worship the God head whom the persecutor also protessed to worship, in the form and faith of their early teachings and mature convictions. No, friend, we did not exaggerate; for put the case ever so strongly, or ever so numerously in illustration, we could not in the space at newspaper disposal give one-thousandth part of the items which go to make the history of the ''Irish Penal Laws" an abomination before the world. O'Connell, in his Memoirs of Ireland, Ma tive and Saxon," describes the Penal Code as tthe most dexterous and atrocious in iquity that ever stained the annals of leg islation."
 Under this code, in relation to Property, no Catholic could hold, or dispose of landed estate by will; wife by embracing Professionalism could compel the Catholic husband to give her separate maintenance and the custody of their children; the son of Catholic father declaring himself @ Protestant could deprive his fether of all power and control over property; if Cath olic purchased for money any estate a Protestant was empowered by law to take away that estate without paying one shil- ling of the purchase money; no Catholic could possess @ horse of over e5 in value or if so possessed to the value of even 91OO a Protestant could seize it in payment of 95. These are not tithe of the disabili- ties to which Catholic was subjected for religions sake and in religions name.
 In the matter of Education, if Catholic kept school or taught any person, Catholic or Protestant, any literature or science, such teacher was for this crime punishable by law by banishment and if he returned from banishment, he was subject Ito be hanged as felon. In Religion, to teach Catholic doctrines was transportable felony; to convert Protestant to the Catholic faith was capital offense, pun ishable as an act of treason; monk or friar was amendable to punishment; to be Catholic Archbishop or Bishop, or to ex- ercise any ecclesiastical jurisdiction what soever in Catholic Church of Ireland twas punishable by transportation; to return from such transportation was an act of high treason, punishable by being hanged, en- bowelled alive, and afterwards quartered.
 The personal disabilities of the Code were manifold. The law rendered every Cath ollie incapable of holding commission in the Army or Navy, of filling any office whatsoever of honor and emolument in the State. A Catholic could not be Jndge, Grand Juror, Sheriff, Barrister, Attorney, etc. He could not be member of the House of Commons, or vote for members Catholic Peers were deprived of their rights to sit or vote in the House of Lords These are but few of the proscriptive edicts promulgated and enforced against Catholics-whether English or Irish-un- der the benign rule of ittle-souled Great Britain. How the laws were enforced is the most bloody record in the history of tyranny the world over. We have by us as we write, incidents of the penal days that would make the heart throb and the blood boil, and every drop of that rebel blood jingle to the fingers end as if grasp ing at revenge and reprisal
 Come to our office, you who so justly glory III UuC huC1Gy OI OuI udtlNo Auof1Cdu1Sm and examine our authorities; not Catholic authorities, mind you. Sir Jonah Barring toms Memoirs are at your service, Scullyt Penal Laws will act as companion Leland, the Protestant Historian of old-time and Leckie, the Protestant essayist of the present. are all here; or go to our magni fcent Bronson Library and consult tL< Histories of Great Britain and Ireland passim, and you will find that instead o1 exaggerating we were mercifully mild il our reference to the Irish Penal Laws Then turn to the English and Protestant poet, Lord Byron, and you will find thi. commentary in his ''Irish Avatar:''
 If aught in this world could quench for an hour My contempt for nation so servile thougl
 sore
 Which though trod like the worm, will not turr
 upon power,
 Iris the glory of Grattan. the genius of Moore.
 A THREATENED DESPOTISM.
 Threatened, but hardly in danger O success, as long there is Democrati'